MFT Creative Challenge - Frame it!

Hello stampin' friends! Welcome to our June Creative Challenge! Our Design Team Creative Challenge is a monthly feature, where the design team is challenged to explore their creative side using a specific theme, product or technique. This month, we've been asked to Frame It! Be sure to check the MFT Blog for a list of all the designers who have put their MFT stamps and/or Die-namics dies to work to create a framed piece of art for you.

 

  

So, my friend and co-worker, Anna, asked me to make a framed piece of wall art for her daughter, Lauren, to hang in her bedroom. I picked up this really nice shadowbox frame at HomeSense for just $20 and the smaller 4X6 frame from Micheals for $7. Anna and I discussed the colour pallet she wanted so that the project would coordinate with Lauren's room. I thought this MME Miss Caroline, Fiddlesticks would go perfectly and then we picked 3 PI girls for the shadowbox framed wall art piece to represent some fun things that Lauren loves to do, like, playing with bubbles, running through the sprinkler and playing with a pinwheel! Anna also, asked if I could add some butterflies to the frame too! 

First, I wanted to create a lacy border around the interior of the frame. I found that I was able to tuck a Open Scallop Border Die-namics under the edge of the frame. So I cut approx. 12 Open Scallop Borders from cream cardstock and added an adhesive strip of Scor-Tape to the back. I roughly measured them out, determining where I could use a full 6 " border and strategically placing where the cut border pieces would go so that the scallop pattern was left intact. I also made sure that where the borders met in the corners there was a clean looking edge, almost a mitered edge. Once I had everything laid out, I removed the adhesive backing and adhered the borders all the way around the inside of the frame.

Then, I made 3, 6x6 panels to "house" my little PI girls so they weren't just floating around in the large frame and it would give me a base to later arrange my floral Die-namics and other embellishments. I used a ton of Die-namics on this project to decorate so be patient with me as I list them all, :) I'm loving my Dainty Doily Die-namics, so, I used the Dainty Lace Border Die-namics, Dainty Doily Oval Die-namics and the larger of the 2 doilies from Dainty Doily DUO Die-namics. My new beloved, Hibiscus flower Die-namics and the fabulous leaf that comes with, sure got a work out for this project, as did the gorgeous Botanical Beauty Die-namics. I cut several Rolled Flowers from Puff Cloud White, My Favorite Felt.  To embellish I used some velvet ribbon in pink, purple and yellow from my stash and purple bling sprinkled here and there.

After I made the large shadowbox project, I was on such a roll, that I made this small coordinating frame to be placed on Lauren's bedside table. I used MFT Pure Innocence Make a Splash, one of my all time favorite PI girls and coloured her with Copics and paper pieced her swimsuit. On the small frame you can see the Dainty Lace Border Die-namics and the Oval Dainty Doily, and I used the small Dainty Doily from the Doily Circles Die-namics, layered with the Perfect Petal Die-namics flowers and the Botanical Beauty Die-namics.  I also used the Mini Scallop Edge Die-namics. The little spray of flowers was added to the outside of the frame and adhered with my glue gun.  A sentiment from the Make a Splash set was stamped and cut with the Fishtail Flags STAX Die-namics, then I flipped the die cut peice around and re-cut it so the Fishtail is on both ends, then inked with Milled  Lavender Distress ink. I also used the Photo Corner Die-nmaics too, one on each of the panels.

Here are some detail shots of the Shadowbox frame. On the middle panel I cut a "Polaroid" frame with my Square STAX, like I saw on Joanne's card here. I cut a larger square from black cardstock and adhered it under the white frame. I think it really looks like a "Polaroid" too. Anna can add a pic of Lauren in this spot and I indicated such by stamping out the word "PHOTO" with the Wendy Alpha Stamp set on white card cut from the Ribbon die from the First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics. It is just lightly adhered with re-positionable adhesive so that it can be easily removed. I also cut several Fishtail Flags from various pattern papers and positioned them by the 3 panels. This also functioned as an "anchor" or "home" for adding in Die-namics flowers and embellishments.

I used the By The Letters, Uppercase Die-namics cut from corrugated card to spell out Lauren's name. On this panel I have used the Pure Innocence, Blowing Bubbles, I coloured her with my Copics and paper pieced her out-fit. I stamped one of the sentiments from the Blowing Bubbles set on white card cut with the new Traditional Tag STAX Die-namics and inked with Milled Lavender Distress ink and tucked it under a flowers made with the Flower Trio & Leaf Die-namics. I think if you visit me regularly you will know that I MUST ink all the edges of my papers...it is actually a bit of problem,lol....hence the name of my blog, so I thought I should mention that the papers, Die-namics die-cuts are inked with Tea Dye Distress ink.

I coloured the Pure Innocence, Sprinkler Girl with my Copics and Primacolour Pencils, then paper pieced her swimsuit. I cut the image out with my Oval STAX Die-namics and inked with Tumbled Glass Distress ink. It is matted on the Corrugated card cut with the Oval Dainty Doily. I used the Branch with Leaves Die-namics to fill in a quiet spot in the top corner of the frame by the Sprinkler Girl. I also added a sentiment from the PI Make a Splash Stamp set, stamped on white card cut with the smaller ribbon die from the First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics and inked with Milled Lavender Distress ink.

A little tip, many of the gorgeous Die-namics flowers cut and emboss, like the gorgeous new Hibiscus Die-namics. I brushed over the embossed line with my T0 and T1 Coipc Marker to just add a little more definition to the embossed detail. I also inked the edges with Tea Dye Distress ink. 

Here is the sweet, Pure Innocence, PI and the Pinwheel set. I cut a few Butterflies with my Butterflies Die-namics and the smallest butterfly from the Notched Tag Die-namics set, from chocolate cork material and added some purple gems to them.

I also added another sentiment from the PI and the Pinwheel stamp set...stamped on white card cut with the large ribbon Die from the First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics.

Well, thanks SO much for stopping by and for sticking in to the end of my project post for this month's Creative Challenge - Frame it! I had a lot of FUN making this frame and I hope Anna and Lauren like it! Now, skip on over to Kim's blog for all the links to MFT Designers who have taken up the Creative Challenge this month!

Happy Stampin'!
Hugs,




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